The 1920s in Fact and Fiction

“The Roaring Twenties” has captured the imagination of many people.  The decade prior to the Great Depression seems to offer a rich and exciting tapestry of booze, flappers, and jazz.  The reality, however, was much different than what we imagine or even what we see in period photos.  Recently, many non-fiction and fiction books have taken the 1920s as their subject or the setting for their stories. 

The following are a small sample of the books available through the library.  If there is another topic or subject that interests you the librarians will be more than happy to help you choose your next book.

First here are some recent fiction books set during the 1920s:

Libba Bray, The Diviners (2012) YA

Evangeline Mary O’Neill, Evie to all of her friends, has a special power that allows her to see the secrets of people whose personal items she holds.  When she uses this power during a party and reveals the hidden secret of the son of a wealthy and powerful townsperson, Evie is exiled by her parents from her hometown of Zenith, Ohio to live with her Uncle Will in Manhattan.  Along with her pen pal and friend, Mabel, Her Uncle Will, and his assistant and ward Jericho, Evie is drawn into the search for an elusive killer stalking the streets of 1920s New York City. This book is the first of an anticipated triology.  The second book, Lair of Dreams, has recently been released and picks up where the firstbook left off.  

Although marketed for a YA audience this book has plenty for adults to like.  If you enjoy mysteries and supernatural/paranormal thrillers this book will definitely interest you.  Occasionally the 1920s-era slang can be a little much, but fortunately its usage doesn’t derail the storytelling to any serious degree.

Paul Elwork, The Girl Who Would Speak For the Dead (2011)

It’s the summer of 1925.  Thirteen year-old Emily Stewart discovers she has a unique gift.  Without any noticeable movements she can produce a distinct knocking noise from her ankle.  Along with her twin brother, Michael, they begin to convince neighborhood children that they can speak to the dead.  Soon, news of these “spirit knockings” leaks out to the adults.  From there Emily and Michael discover that this game of theirs gets too close to real grief and family secrets.

These non-fiction books examine different aspects of the 1920s and are sure to include stories to interest readers with many different tastes.

Karen Blumenthal, Tommy: The Gun That Changed America (2015) YA Karen Blumenthal has written an entertaining and fact-filled account of the gun that came to symbolize the 1920s.  Designed by the Auto-Ordnance company to be used in the trenches of Europe during WWI it came too late to see service.  After the war, the gun was marketed to foreign governments and police departments as a way to control striking workers and rioters.  Its high rate of fire along with its compact frame soon drew the attention of criminals, who saw the gun as a way to gain a competitive edge against their underworld rivals.  In response to the murder of an Illinois Assistant State Attorney, and the robbery of a mail truck carrying company payroll money the Federal government, along with state governments, such as New York, began passing the first federal and state laws regulating the carrying and ownership of firearms.

A footnote of interest to local readers will be that the Thompson submachine gun was designed and tested primarily in Cleveland in a two-story house on Euclid Avenue, near Millionaire’s Row.  The book is full of period photos and illustrations, which adds nicely to the text.  Although, designated for Young Adults, readers of any age should find this an interesting read.

William J. Mann, Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood (2014)

Hollywood has never been a stranger to scandals and salacious stories involving its stars. This was particularly true of Hollywood in its infancy. William J. Mann has written a fascinating history of Hollywood centered on the murder of William Desmond Taylor, president of the Motion Picture Directors Association.  This murder had remained unsolved since 1922, until Mann unraveled all of the details and discovered the identity of the murderer.  Besides the glitz and glamor one would expect in a book on Hollywood, the scandals, violence, drugs, and booze of the era are all laid bare for the reader. This book won the 2015 Edgar award for Best Fact Crime Book of the Year.  NPR called it, “one of the best books of the year.” 

Eric Burns, 1920: The Year That Made the Decade Roar (2015) Many of the same concerns we have today concerned Americans in 1920.  The economy seemed to be faltering, many Americans wanted closed and secured borders, and acts of terrorism were a constant threat.  As Burns believes 1920 not only set the stage for the Roaring Twenties, but also for the remainder of the 20^th century and the beginning of the 21^st century.

Burns’ new book, tackles the year 1920 in a piecemeal fashion.  Each chapter discusses separate subjects and could be read individually without the reader losing the main thrust of the argument.  Despite these reservations Burns has put together a readable and interesting look into how one year laid the framework for the rest of the 20th century and beyond.

If one of these books piques your interest, or if you'd like other suggestions, please see one of our helpful and friendly librarians for assistance and other book recommendations.

Good Reading!

Urban Fantasy: Zombies, Wizards, and Pyromancers! Oh My!

As the summer slowly approaches it's end, kids start going back to school, and the days start to be come shorter many people start gearing up for the fall and winter months. Some try to squeeze in their last minute vacations, some people start gearing up for Halloween already, and some are just trying to hang on to that last bit of summer before the temperature drops on us.

Not me. This time of the year means one thing: AMC's The Walking Dead is coming back. And since its fresh in my head, its reminding me that over the past year I have really fallen in love with a new subset of narrative that has really become one of my favorites in recent readings: Urban Fantasy. Urban fantasy is for the most part exactly what it sounds like; The fantastical and unbelievable in the current day modern setting as opposed to High Fantasy where the world and its rules are completely fabricated. In preparation for the return of one of my favorite programs, I wanted share some of the tidbits I've been nibbling on to hold me over.

The Walking Dead: By Robert Kirkman

 

Well let's just get this one out of the way. This is comic and graphic novel series that started of the flag-bearers of the the zombie boom. Written by Robert Kirkman (who you might remember from my Marvel Zombies review), this series lays the groundwork for what fans of the show will remember. But if you came into this series of comics expecting to see the same story from the show, you will be very much surprised. 

As the show takes liberties to this source material, reading through you will find that the story moves at a much faster pace than its television counterpart, You will find that some of the characters aren't the same the first time around, some of the characters were created specifically for the show, in the comic a number of them develop differently and have very different personalities, and some scenes that I thought were highly memorable sometimes didn't even happen in the comic series. 

Arguably you can consider the zombie genre to be more dystopian than it is urban fantasy, but since you are dealing with monsters I feel it fits here. It is always interesting to me to see how when a book or comic series gets translated to more visual medium like TV or Movies. The Walking Dead is a great example of both of them can sustain life and maintain an interesting level of involvement of each other without feeling like one is doing an injustice to the other. There are two Compendiums of the comic series available and I suggest you give them a read if like me  you are bitten by the zombie bug. 

The Dresden Files: By Jim Butcher

This series... THIS SERIES..  Man. My friend at my local game night started recommending when I explained to them how much I liked Hold Me Closer, Necromancer as one of my first real entries of urban fantasy genre. As explained to me, Harry Dresden is a private eye working in Chicago, but he is also the city's only practicing Wizard (you can find him in the yellow pages). So along those lines, I expected to read murder mysteries with an occasional splash of magic in some of the hairier moments.

What I wasn't expecting was some of the funniest and cleverly written dialog between an incredibly lovable cast of characters spanning through pretty much every single realm of fantasy I can think of. Seriously, this series has everything: Wizards, necromancers, teens who turn into werewolves, evil fairy godmothers, pixies with an uncontrollable affinity for pizza, three different families of vampires, holy knights, fallen angels, archangels, living temple dogs, mobsters, Valkyries, Greek gods, Santa Claus, and one poor diminutive police sergeant just trying to do her job. 

I ate this series up. I think in the span of like 3 months, I read all 15 released volumes of this series, all of the available graphic novels, a series of side stories from compilation books, and even gave a few episodes of the failed TV show a try. Fans of this series tend to be pretty ravenous about it, and it didn't take me long to see why. The first few kind of set the stage but when the main narrative starts to roll, it was next to impossible for me to put this series down. If you are a fan of fantasy in any capacity, this series has a little bit for everyone. 

Firebug: By Lish McBride

This YA novel is what I am currently reading.  It is set in the same universe as the previously mentioned Hold Me Closer, Necromancer. Written by Lish McBride, this story focuses around Ava, a young girl who is half Human and half Firebug. This gives her innate ability to control pyrokinetic powers. Quite simply, she is able to form a massive fireball to the tiniest wisp of a flame using only her thoughts.

After losing her mother, Ava finds herself under the control of a vampire named Venus. Venus is a major player of Boston's "magical mafia" called the Coterie, and she has been working Ava as the Coterie's reluctant personal assassin. That is however, until they charge Ava to kill someone incredibly close to her. Ava refuses, effectively signing her own death warrant, and is forced to go on the lam to try to evade capture against a very powerful supernatural organization.

Much like her previous books, a little bit of everything in fantasy comes into play in her series. McBride has always been very good at tongue-in-cheek dialog and has some great moments of tit-for-tat verbal sparring among the characters. I am currently in the early stages of the story but it already seems to be promising what I loved about her previous books and I'm looking forward to pressing on when I get home. 

Many of these titles can be found in our very own Kirtland Library and all of them can be found in the Clevnet catalog. So if you are a fan of fantasy, or perhaps put slightly off by classic fantasy, give the urban fantasy genre a try. It's a very entertaining way to try to fit the fantastical into modern mundanity. 

What We're Reading Now!

Jamie: Bundori by Laura Joh Rowland

Bundori is the second novel in Laura Joh Rowland's historical mystery series featuring samurai detective Sano Ichiro. In feudal Japan, Sano is the shogun's sosakan-sama: Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People. In this book, he must find a serial killer who has been leaving clues in the form of an ancient war ritual: severed heads to nailed boards. The clues lead Sano to several suspects. The problem is, one suspect is the shogun's Chamberlain. The shogun himself has asked Sano to catch the murderer. Sano is torn between serving the shogun and serving justice. ​Sano's life is always in danger. Luckily, he has a loyal assistant helping him. A knowledgeable, scholarly elder, and deadly female ninja complete the cast. As Sano learns hidden secrets and narrows his list of suspects, suspense mounts.

This is only the second book about Sano but I enjoy reading about historical Japan and samurai culture and I love to see the character of Sano develop. His integrity and skills are admirable and I'm always cheering for him. Rowland's historical details are accurate and contribute to the story. The shogun of Sano's time is a real historical figure: Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. There are currently seventeen novels in the series, so there is still much to learn about Sano and historical Japan. (This series may not be for everyone due to graphic scenes and violence.)


Chris: Attack On Titan by Hajimie Isayama

I had a mystery lined up for my new post, but since this series is so hot right now and I'm apparently the sole anime/manga fan in Kirtland, I wanted to talk about this one.

Attack On Titan takes place in a Concentric city that is protected by three giant stone walls. For the past 100 years, these walls protected humans from monstrous humanoids called Titans. For youths such as protagonist Eren Yeager, his adopted sister Misaka, and their friend Armin, life within these walls are all they know and the peace from it. Until one day, a massive 50 meter tall skinless Titan appears above the wall and smashes a hole through it, allowing smaller yet incredibly deadly Titans to breach through. The ensuing chaos for escape is gruesome as the Titans begin to tear apart and devour humans. People are evacuated to the inner walls, but not without Eren losing his family in the most brutal of fashions. Swearing vengeance, Eren joins up with the Survey Corps to leave the walls and take the fight to the Titans.

When I tell another adult I watch anime or read manga, I will occasionally get a scoff, an eyeroll, or am told that cartoons are for kids. This series is decidedly not for kids, and I challenge readers to give it a try. It has drama, betrayal, mystery, gruesome combat, and for the most part moves at a fast pace. You could tear though 3 volumes of these graphic novels in less than an hour, so there is no reason not to give it a shot.


Maria: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has never left her tiny village. Recently let go from her waitressing job at the Butter Bun Cafe, she finds she needs a job fast because her parents rely on her paychecks. So when the job center recommends Lou try for a job as a caretaker for a quadriplegic, she reluctantly goes for the interview. Lou's interview takes her to the affluent side of town, to the Traynor family mansion. They are moneyed and infamous in Lou's small town, but she never knew about the troubles they've had at home . . . the eldest Traynor child, Will, was in an accident two years ago that has left him a quadriplegic. He has movement of his neck, but minimal control of his hands and fingers. Everything else is paralyzed, and he is confined to a chair and needs 24/7 care, especially after a suicide attempt that put the family on high-alert. Mrs. Traynor is adamant that she does not want a nurse-maid for her son. She just wants him to spend time with someone who will entertain him and be companionable. Louisa is chatty and quirky, dressing in colorful tights and sparkly gumboots. She's just the sort of positive influence Will needs in his life right now.

But Will Traynor is not the easiest person to get along with. He's bitter and depressed - constantly reminiscing about his life `before' and `after' the accident. He used to ski, bungee jump, rock climb and just generally travel the globe looking for the next adrenalin-rush. Now he is chair-bound and suicidal. But Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living. Lou has six months to prove her worth to the Traynors and make a difference in Will's life. And what originally starts as an easy paycheck and cozy new job turns into a mission of hope. . .

Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—although heartbreaking, this book had me laughing out loud in many parts of the book. Great character development, great writing…what more can you ask for?

What we're reading now! {June}

In a new addition to our little blog here, we thought it would be fun if we shared with you what it is we are following from month to month. Could be books, could be movies, could be crafts or games. So as we roll through this hot summer, here's what we're read reading now!

Chris: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

As a child of the 80's and a guy who plays a lot of video games, I'm suggested this book often. It's 2044 and the world is basically falling apart. There are no jobs, less food, and even less space to live. The only solace many people have is in a virtual world called OASIS. Both the real and online worlds are sent into a frenzy when the game's creator James Halliday passes away and leaves his multibillion dollar estate and fortune to the one who can solve his game within OASIS by finding his three keys which open three gates. Five years pass with nobody finding a clue and people begin to question if there was really a contest at all.
 

Until an unassuming student named Wade finds the first clue and is ranked on the world leader board. Now it becomes a race as he's thrust into the limelight and now pitted against his friends, idols, and people very willing to kill to get ahead. So now, just to survive Wade needs to use his knowledge of Halliday's passion for 80's pop culture and video games to get the jump on the rest of the world to be the first to find Halliday's easter egg. The entire world is an MMO (massively multiplayer online game), everyone in it is a player, and the real world is the prize. But when push comes to shove, is it really what Wade wants?

This one can feel like fan-fiction at times but the story is fun and really starts to sprint to the finish as you read along. Its a little thick with references but ultimately it was very fun to read.

Gina: The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh

Set in a small town in the Ozark Mountains, The Weight of Blood tells the story of Lucy Dane, a seventeen-year-old who is searching for the truth behind two mysteries: the brutal murder of her friend, Cheri, and the disappearance of her mother when Lucy was a baby.

The story is told from alternating points of view, including Lucy; her mother, Lila; and several other main characters. At first I found this confusing, since the chapters narrated by Lila are set in the time before Lucy was born, so that the plot is not chronological. But telling the story this way allows the reader to feel more involved and to better understand the characters. Since Lucy never really knew her mother, the author allows Lila to tell her own story, and we learn much more about Lucy’s father and uncle from her point of view. As Lucy’s investigation broadens, she learns that there may be a connection between the two cases, and those closest to her may not be who they seem.

This is a suspenseful debut novel with fascinating characters and a descriptive setting. I look forward to her next book.


Jane:  Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

There is an anonymous quote that says "when a butterfly flaps it's wings in one part of the world it can cause a hurricane in another part of the world."  This is what happens when Dellarobia Turnbow finds a mountaintop covered in monarch butterflies in rural Tennessee.  Somehow the butterflies have gotten off their natural course.  Is it an act of God or is it global warming?  Whatever the cause, it is bringing scientists, environmentalists and gawkers to Dellarobia's mountain and creating havoc with her family.   Dellarobia's father-in-law wants to clear cut the mountain, for much needed money.  Her mother-in-law, Hester, is sure it's a spiritual sign.  For Dellarobia, the butterflies signify her desire to get something more out of life.

Kingsolver is a wonderful writer.  She brings people and places to life and subtly educates the reader.  

National Craft Month

March is National Craft Month. The Library is a great place to learn a new craft. We have books on all crafts from sewing to painting. We also have many crafting groups that meet here at the Library in the Community Room: Dreamweavers Basket Guild, Tuesday Threaders (Quiliting), American Needlepoint Guild, Cloth Souls Doll Club, Tri-County Artists, and The Paint Company.

Want to try your hand at a new craft? Here are a few enticing titles from the Library that are sure to inspire you:

The New Encyclopedia of Watercolor Techniques by Diana Craig & Hazel Harrison

Full color step-by-step photography of dozens of watercolor techniques.

The Ohio Knitting Mills Knitting Book by Steven Tatar with Denise Grollmus

26 sweater patterns from the 1940s to the 1970s, adapted from the archives of Cleveland's knitting mill.

The Beader's Color Palette by Margie Deeb

Inspiration for beaders of all skill levels with many color palettes and design ideas.

Handmade Home by Amanda Blake Soule

Simple crafts for the home using repurposed materials.

The Big Book of Cross-Stitch Designs from Reader's Digest

Over 900 easy-to-stitch patterns in contemporary and traditional styles.









Don't forget, your library card allows you access to full color digital magazines on Zinio, including plenty on crafting:
https://www.rbdigital.com/kirtlandoh/service/zinio/landing?q=Crafts&mode=1


Get started today! Whether you're an experienced crafter or a beginner, March is the time to CREATE!


Let us know which crafts you enjoy in the comments!

Staff Picks: E-books!

Most of the books I read are physical library books but the convenience of e-books keeps me reading more conveniently and widely. With e-books, I can read anywhere on anything--a desktop, laptop, e-reader, even my phone. And I can read books both old and new.

I read the following books as e-books. E-reading lets me read faster and has me reading books I wouldn't normally checkout!

A Feast For Crows (Game of Thrones # 4)

by George R. R. Martin

LIGHT READING. All of the books in the Game of Thrones series are hefty books. This book alone is 1,104 pages in mass market paperback; the trade paperback and hardback are 784 pages. That's a heavy book to carry around. I was able to download the e-book to my Nook which was much easier to tote and hold comfortably. The series reads quickly and is completely engrossing despite its long length. Start with the first book which you can check out digitally and read on any device.

Gone Girl

by Gillian Flynn

CONVENIENCE. This book is still popular even though it came out in 2012. When it still had a long waiting list last year, I just had to read it to find out what the fuss was, but I couldn't get my hands on a copy! Then I checked eMedia and found it available. I was able to read it quickly without waiting for the hardback copy to come in. It's nice to have options when you just have to read a book! The twists in this book will keep you guessing until the very end. Don't forget to check for a digital copy if the Library doesn't have a book you're waiting for.

North and South

by John Jakes

SEAMLESS READING. I've always wanted to read the beginning of John Jake's Civil War trilogy and I was surprised to find it available as an e-book. How refreshing that many oldies-but-goodies are now available digitally. Once I started reading, I was hooked. I had to have this book with me everywhere so I checked out both the physical book and e-book. I was able to read the e-book when I was out and about, and read the physical book at home which I left on the bedside table. That way, North and South was always available for me to read and I didn't have to worry about transferring it to and from my purse. I'll definitely be reading the rest of the trilogy and more by John Jakes. 

  

Bright's Passage

by Josh Ritter

EASY BROWSING. The e-Media website makes browsing easy and enjoyable. You can clearly see book covers and get a description of the book's content from the comfort of your home or any WiFi or Internet connection. You can browse and search by subject with just a click. I found this book just by looking at covers. This one drew me in so I checked out the e-book and was pleasantly surprised. This beautifully written story was sad, funny, and heroic all at once. 

Mind of My Mind (Patternist Series #2)

by Octavia Butler

BONUS MATERIAL. Octavia Butler is one of my favorite writers but that's not why I wanted to read this e-book. A "reprint" of the 1977 science-fiction, this e-book contains an illustrated biography of the author "including rare images from the author's estate." I had to check out the book and see the extra material, then I had to read the book, of course. Many e-books contain bonus material such as author interviews or reading guides which makes a digital checkout even better. 

Why not check out an e-book today? You'll be surprised by what you find!

You can access tons of e-books through our website with just your library card. CLEVNET offers e-books for every reader and device, and it is easy to use.

Reflecting on Presidents Day

Do you think about Presidents Day all that often? Or at all? To a lot of us, it basically means "Hey sweet, Abe and George got us a day off." I certainly was of that mind set. But how exactly did it come to this point?

Well, as it turns out when this holiday was created, it wasn't exactly ordained as Presidents day. Dating back as far as 1800's, the holiday was unofficially recognized as a day of observance for President George Washington. This was typically observed on his birthday of February 22, (although in actuality his birthday falls on February 11 of the old Julian calendar). Since Washington was considered to be the most important figure in American history, it became a federally recognized holiday in 1885, thus making it a day where business wasn't conducted.

In 1971, Congress decided create 3 day weekends, and an act known as the "Uniform Monday Holiday Act" was passed. Thish caused a shift of the official day of observance to make Washington's birthday to fall on the 3rd Monday in February. This ends up making the day fall between the 15th and 22nd, and thus never falling on Washington's actual birthday.

So how did it become President's day? Well despite up to 22 states recognizing Lincoln's birthday as a paid state holiday, it was never officially recognized as a federal holiday. There was a fear that it would be much too confusing to have so many holidays all fall within the same few days in the same month, as Lincoln's birthday fell on February 12th.

To address this, an early draft of the Monday Holiday Act contained a revision that would merge the two Presidents birthdays to one singular holiday, giving it the more unofficial title of "Presidents Day". While this is how many people refer to it, on a federally recognized scale it is still referred to as Washington's birthday. Although on a state level, some places recognize all 3 dates individual holidays (albeit not all paid holidays).

The marketing push for "President's Day Sales" didn't really start to kick up until as recently as the 1980's with more and more businesses starting to remain at normal hours to capitalize on the holiday. And outside of major federal services such as the US postal service, things like public transit now also maintain regular hours during this holiday.

So if you have the day off for the holiday, and want to learn more  about the folks who gave it to you, we've got a couple of suggestions that you may want to look into. For more about our founding father and some of his work you can always try:

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His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph Ellis

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.Writings: By Washington, George

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Or if you are more of fan of ol' honest Abe, we have a number of available items on him as well. Be sure to check them out as well as the many other selections you can find in the CLEVNET catalog.

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A. Lincoln by Ronald C. White, Jr.

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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith*

(*May or may not be historically accurate)

From your friends at Kirtland Public Library: Have a great Presidents Day everyone!

Staff Picks: What I'm Reading Now

Need a good book to read while curling up by the fire? Here is a list of the books I have finished this month so far.

Sandrine’s Case

by Thomas H. Cook

College professor Sam Madison is on trial for his wife Sandrine’s murder. Sandrine has been recently diagnosed with ALS and her death was initially ruled a suicide, but several clues appear to implicate Sam. Is he guilty, or did Sandrine set him up? More than a courtroom drama, the book explores the relationship between a man and his wife. This book was recently named a finalist for the 2014 Edgar Award for best mystery.

The Affair

by Colette Freedman

Kathy Walker suspects her husband of eighteen years of having an affair. Having wrongly accused him 6 years earlier, she is reluctant to confront him without evidence, which she soon finds.  The story is told in three parts, from the point of view of the wife, the husband, and the mistress, which allows the reader to sympathize with each character. This is Freedman's first novel.

Fear Nothing 

by Lisa Gardner

The latest mystery in Gardner’s Detective D.D. Warren series involves a serial killer that is copying the crimes of murderer Harry Day, who has been dead for 40 years. Warren looks to Day’s daughters for help finding the killer: Adeline, a pain therapist, and Shana, a convicted murderer herself, who has been incarcerated for the past 30 years. Gardner does not hold back on graphic depictions of violence, but if you like suspense and well-developed characters, give her a try.

The Keeper of Lost Causes

by Jussi Adler-Olsen

For fans of Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbo, The Keeper of Lost Causes is the first title in Jussi Adler-Olsen’s Department Q series.  Detective Carl Morck is the head of Department Q, which investigates cold cases. His first case involves a politician who disappeared 5 years previously and is presumed dead. Can he find her in time to save her life? Filled with likable characters and a creative plot. Adler-Olsen's books are best sellers in his native Denmark.



Let us know what you are reading now. Winter is the perfect time to catch up on the books you've been wanting to read, and we've got something for everyone here at the Library.

Transmedia: A Different Kind of Story

During my one of my final classes in my MLIS program, I was introduced to a different medium of story telling. I'm familiar with different formats of materials, such books, audiobook, graphic novels, and so forth. But for the most part, they all generally tend to keep their stories contained within the chosen format.

However, in recent months I have been introduced to something called "TransMedia" stories. Much like you would expect from the term itself, this is a brand of book that integrates various forms of media within the tale for you to get a deeper and different perspective to the story. It was a very cool and interesting sub-genre and I'd like to share a pair of examples with you: one for the younger crowd and one of the adults.

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I was first introduced into the genre by a young adult story (shocker) by Patrick Carmen called Skeleton Creek. It's premise comes from the perspective of a young man named Ryan McCray in a one horse town with a bit of interestingly spooky legend behind it. It's told from the perspective of him writing in a journal. So he's always either referring to events before or after they happen. He's currently being forbidden from seeing his best friend Sarah Fincher because their last little outing resulted him getting his leg broken.

But throughout the book, he references her website and video blog. Sarah represents the outgoing and adventurous half of their duo. She thinks the story behind the abandoned gold Dredge outside of town has more than it seems behind it. So despite the two being separated and constantly pushed to stay out of "The Dredge", She continues to explore it and reports her findings to Ryan via her website www.sarahfincher.com with the help of passwords she leaves him.

The reader, should they explore, will find that this is a legitimate website and that the passwords do in fact work. And if you enter the passwords as you find them, you are treated to what I refer to as perspective chapters where Sarah brings you the other half of the story. They are very well done and they bring in dynamic that makes the story that much more creepy than if you had just read the book alone. I have provided an example below of one of the first few vlogs you get in the story. I found myself getting easily engrossed in this one and ended up flying through it in a few hours.

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The other story is one that I really enjoyed was murder mystery by J.C. Hutchins called Personal Effects: Dark Art. It tells the story of a young hotshot therapist who has been tasked in investigating and rehabilitating a serial murder suspect called Martin Grace. Grace is suffering from a rare  form of  psychosomatic blindness because he is able to foresee how each of the murder victims would perish and inform them of such prior to it happening. He also bears a warning of a mysterious figure known only as the "Dark Man" who in some way seems to be tied to these murders and is an entity that Grace intensely fears.

Zach is an art therapist, and through various interview and unconventional art sessions he intends to root through the buried past of Grace to find the cause of his blindness and hopefully cure it to make him well enough to stand trial. But Grace is a very cerebral opponent and has no intention of making things easy, which sends Zack to look through Grace's personal effects to try to unlock the mystery behind him. Be warned though, this is a pretty gruesome journey, and it's definitely not for everybody.

As the title leads on, this book comes with a series of various personal effects (bottom of link for examples) tucked neatly away in the cover of the book such as collection of papers, cards, forms, and pictures "recovered" from Martin Graces things. If you pay close enough attention to the items, you will find clues within them that give the reader a step ahead of Zach in the story. All of the phone numbers reach actual voice mails, where if you can discovers the codes you can listen to the messages left to them. The businesses have websites to give you better context about the locations, and so on.

The problem with this form of book however, is that sometimes the interactive elements are forgotten or not kept up with. There is an interesting side story with this book where one of the side characters somewhat took a life of its own to promote the book, and it ended up becoming more a real entity than the book itself. Unfortunately it caused a bit of a schism, and many of the associated websites were shut down. It's a shame, and forced me to use the Internet wayback machine to see the sites, but it was a fascinating story nonetheless.

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While not exactly a new or emerging genre of fiction, it is still relatively uncommon style in the mass market. But there are a various number of examples scattered throughout the CLEVNET catalog for both teens and adults. It is a very interesting concept and gives a new spin on reading and definitely worth looking into at least once. Here's hoping more authors explore this means of storytelling.

What, Me Organized?



Yikes!

One would think that as a librarian I might have great organizational skills.  One would be wrong.  Oh sure, I know the Dewey Decimal System inside out and backwards.  But have you seen my office?  It's a mess!  Often you cannot see the top of my desk, and I have a big desk!  And don't even get me started on the counters and cupboards!

So for 2014 I will be reorganizing and decluttering and generally trying to straighten up my office.  But where to start?  Luckily, I work in a library...so I went to the shelves and found several books that may be of help.  Here are some that I found:

What's A Dis-Organized Person To Do? by Stacy Platt.  Professional organizer Platt provides 317 great ideas, projects and tips to help you unclutter your overstuffed life.  There are projects for every room in the house.

Organizing from the Inside Out: The Foolproof System for Organizing Your Home, Your Office, and Your Life by Julie Morgenstern.  Morgenstern has a three-step process to start organizing:  analyze, strategize and attack.  She offers lots of great ideas for home and office.

Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley (The Fly Lady).  Do you suffer from C.H.A.O.S (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)?  The Fly Lady actually makes organizing and cleaning fun.  She starts with baby steps to decluttering and keeps the amount of time spent on chores limited.  The Fly Lady helps establish routines that make it easy to keep ahead of the clutter.  Some of my favorite Fly Lady things are the 27 Fling Boogie and the Hot Spot Fire Drill.  When you do the 27 Fling Boogie set your timer for 15 minutes, grab a box and run through the house collecting things to give away.   When the time goes off , you are done for the day.  A Hot Spot is a place in your home or office that collects stuff -- and if left unattended it will spread like a wild fire.  When you do a  Hot Spot Fire Drill, you spend 5 minutes putting away all the things that have accumulated there.

I found the books and tools I'll be using to get organized this year!  If you need some tips and ideas, stop in the Library, we have lots of books on keeping track of your stuff and I know just where to find them!!

Staff Picks: Dragonlance Chronicles

I'm somewhat of an enigma when it comes to fantasy. I am a self proclaimed fan of the genre and often navigate to various things in that setting, but if there is a specific example of one that I don't much care for it's the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  I don't have much in the way of explanation for why, it's just something that never really appealed to me. (Probably not the smartest thing to say with a new Hobbit movie coming out or hobbit promotion in our Library)

In any case, there is one fantasy trilogy that I am absolutely in love with and have been since middle school, and that would be Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. Since this duo is quite the prolific pair, I'd like focus on the Dragons Trilogy as it's probably the most notable story and the one where the major characters become the "Heroes of the Lance", and essentially lays the foundation for the all the stories that follow it. 

          

The tale sets up with a group of adventurers meeting up after a 5 years to reconnect after going their separate ways. The brothers Majere: Caramon and Raistlin, Tanis Half-Elven, the knight Sturm, Tasselhoff the Kender, and Flint the Dwarf. On the eve of their reunion they find that the village is currently under the occupation of a religious organization called the Seekers, who work for the Dragon Highlords who look to conquer the continent. 

They seek a blue crystal staff that supposedly has the power of the lost gods of good and has the ability to disrupt their plans for conquest. A staff that so happens to be in the possession of a Barbarian Princess, Goldmoon, who is also in the same tavern where our group has reunited.  After a display of the staffs healing powers and an altercation with Goldmoon's lover (Riverwind) the group confronted by the authorities and are forced to flee.

Thus setting in motion a pursuit of a Draconian empire, as the group makes way to find out more about the old gods that and recover an ancient series of disks that will be instrumental in returning faith to the True Gods, all the while defending themselves against attacks from Draconians and the eventual return of dark dragons.

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As a series of stories heavily based in the Dungeons and Dragons universe, I think what I ended up liking the most about the series is that it really is an ensemble piece. Right from the get go we have a pretty wide and diverse cast of characters that only grows as the story progresses. I find it to be a true ensemble piece because while certain points of the story focus on certain characters, there is no "Hero" of the tale. It will constantly shift focus in the group, allowing the reader to decide for themselves which hero they like instead of having one projected to you as your read.

Additionally, like a great game of D&D, many of the characters have their own motivations. One of the more popular characters and one of the primary antagonists, Raistlin Majere, is quite clearly from the onset an "evil" character. His motivations clearly are beneficial to himself, and he will often manipulate situations to further his own power under the guise of helping the group. Much to the dismay of his brother.

I really can only give such a small snippet of the story as so much takes place in these three novels, but if you are fan of the fantasy genre then this is a tale that you'll find incredibly easy to slip into. It has adventuring, fights with dragons, war, romance, splashes of comedy, and pretty much satisfies all my needs in a fantasy story. It's a series I've enjoyed as a kid and one I enjoy to this date.

Feel free to check out the CLEVNET catalog to check out these stories, and if you get as wrapped up in the universe as I have, we have a wide selection of the numerous other stories within the Dragonlance universe as well.

Staff Picks...Christmas Books!

                    

I started collecting Christmas books when I was in high school.  I have a pretty good sized collection which includes about seven editions of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, and at least 20 versions of Clement C. Moore’s Night Before Christmas.    I won’t bore you with a list of all the books in my collection but I will share some of my favorites.

A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote and illustrated by Beth Peck.  “It’s fruitcake time,” says Miss Sook.  She and Buddy gather nuts, count their pennies to purchase dried fruit and spices and plan who will receive one of the 30 fruitcakes they lovingly bake.  President Roosevelt will, the driver of the 6 o’clook bus from Mobile will, and so will HaHa Jones, the man who sells them the whisky to soak the cakes!  Buddy and Miss Sook also decorate their house and make presents for the rest of the family and dream about a wonderful Christmas.  Capote is such a wonderful writer and the watercolor illustrations in this edition are just beautiful.

Christmas on Jane Street by Billy Romp.  This is the true story of the Romp family.   They are Christmas tree farmers in Vermont and spend the month before Christmas living in a small trailer in on the corner of Jane Street and 8^th Avenue in New York City while they sell their trees.  They arrive in New York on the day after Thanksgiving and get home just in time for Christmas morning.   I love the descriptions of New York City at Christmas and the changing relationship between the father and his daughter. This one is warm and fuzzy and brings back memories of ice skating at Rockefeller Center and the omnipresent aroma of roasting chestnuts.

The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden and Illustrated by Barbara Cooney.  Ivy, Holly, and Mr. and Mrs. Jones all have one Christmas wish. Ivy, an orphan, wishes for a real home and sets out in search of the grandmother she's sure she can find. Holly, a doll, wishes for a child to bring her to life. And the Joneses wish more than anything for a son or daughter to share their holiday. Can all three wishes come true?  A sympathetic boy and a mischievous toy owl make this a terrific story.  The illustrations are lovely.

The Cajun Night Before Christmas by “Trosclair” and illustrated by James Rice.  Santa comes down the bayou on a pirogue pulled by eight tiny ‘gators!  Let the good times roll!

Wombat Divine by Mem Fox and illustrated by Kerry Argent.  Wombat loves everything about Christmas especially the Nativity Play.  He’s finally old enough for a part, but which part will be just right?

Here are some other Christmas books to try.

For children and their grown ups:

A Pint of Judgment Elizabeth Morrow

Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs

The Bird’s Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggins

Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto

Christmas in the Barn by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Barbara Cooney

The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Huston

Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon

A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas

For grown ups:

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg

The Christmas Tree by Julie Salamon

Christmas at Eagle Pond by Donald Hall

These are just some of my favorites – what are some of yours?  You can get all these books and many, many more at the Kirtland Public Library…Check it out!